{
  "id": 8272604,
  "title": "Two-Organ View of the Human Brain Emerges",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/two-organ-view-of-the-human-brain-emerges",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-18T16:04:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GEN Biotechnology",
    "slug": "gen-biotechnology",
    "url": "https://www.genengnews.com/topics/translational-medicine/two-organ-view-of-the-human-brain-emerges/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists once believed the brain to be a single, unified organ. However, new research from Stanford Medicine, collaborating with the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, San Francisco, reveals that the brain is actually two distinct organs that evolved independently over hundreds of millions of years. This discovery challenges the prevailing model of brain development, which assumed a single progenitor cell gave rise to the entire brain.\n\nThe human brain comprises two ancient nervous systems: a more primitive part that regulates vital functions such as heartbeat, breathing, and other automatic processes, and a distinct, human-specific part capable of complex cognitive functions like poetry, mathematics, and contemplation about life's origins. The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, could explain why researchers have struggled to grow certain brain cells in the laboratory and open new avenues for studying brain stem diseases, such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).\n\nKyle Loh, PhD, an associate professor of developmental biology at Stanford Medicine, stated that the front of the brain originates from a separate progenitor cell than the back of the brain. This discovery allows scientists to grow hindbrain neurons in a petri dish, aiding the study of their functions. The human brain consists of three main regions: the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. The forebrain manages higher-level thinking, while the hindbrain, located at the back of the skull, controls essential functions like breathing, sleeping, heartbeat regulation, and facial, tongue, and throat muscle control.\n\nHindbrain neurons are crucial, as their dysfunction leads to life-threatening consequences, such as loss of consciousness, sensation, reflexes, and breathing. Despite their importance, hindbrain neurons have been difficult to generate in the lab, hindering research into diseases like SMA and ALS. SMA is a leading genetic cause of death in children under one year old, while ALS often affects individuals between 40 and 70 years old, impacting both the forebrain and hindbrain.\n\nThe researchers' breakthrough came from studying the earliest stages of embryonic development, during a process called gastrulation. They discovered that the hindbrain follows a separate developmental path, running parallel to the forebrain and midbrain, rather than branching off from them. By examining developing mouse embryos, they identified two distinct brain progenitor cells: one expressing the Otx2 gene, destined to become the forebrain and midbrain, and the other expressing the Gbx2 gene, committed to forming the hindbrain. These two cell populations never overlap, remaining mutually exclusive throughout development.\n\nThe chromatin configuration—how DNA is packaged and which genes are accessible—in these cells revealed further differences. The anterior neural ectoderm (aNE), which will become the forebrain and midbrain, and the posterior neural ectoderm (pNE), which will become the hindbrain, have fundamentally distinct chromatin landscapes. This divergence sets each progenitor cell on a unique path, explaining why attempts to convert one type of progenitor cell into another have been unsuccessful. The study's findings have significant implications for stem cell biology, as scientists will no longer attempt to create hindbrain neurons from forebrain and midbrain progenitors.",
  "summary": "Research suggests that the brain is two distinct organs that evolved independently and comprise two ancient nervous systems packaged together; a hindbrain that regulates essential functions, and a forebrain that handles higher level thinking. The post Two-Organ View of the Human Brain Emerges appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}